This invention relates generally to electronic games, and specifically, to a simulation pinball game wherein the simulation creates a new experience to a player a sensation of riding a pinball.
Pinball machines are very popular and have been played in video arcades, and bars for many decades. The classic pinball machine constitutes mainly a slightly tilted table that allows a pinball to roll, bounce and bump against various obstacles. The game usually starts by the player shooting the pinball from one lower end of the table to the upper end of the table, and through gravity the ball will move and bounce along various paths against various stationery obstacles. The player receives different scores based on the obstacles or paths that the pinball travels. The pinball will eventually falls to the lower end of the table after traveling various different paths. The object of the game is for the player to keep the ball from falling into a gap between two flippers at one lower end of the table. The player can control the movement of the pinball by moving the two movable flippers when the ball rolls back to the proximity of the flippers in order to keep the pinball from falling into the gap. This is a game that requires very accurate eye-hand coordination. The player must use the right force and at the exact timing, the flippers will propel the falling pinball back to the upper part of pinball table to collide with other obstacles and travel in other paths to accumulate higher scores.
Due to the popularity of the classic pinball machine, computerized games simulating pinball machine games are also available. However, in both a real pinball machine and a pinball simulator game being played on a computer or a electronic hand-held device, a player""s interaction with the game is limited to controlling the flippers and observing the movement and scoring of the pinball on top of the pinball table. The player does not actively experience the collision and circuitous paths traveled by the pinball. The player merely needs to concentrate only when the pinball is falling to the lower end of the table and operate one or both flippers in order to avoid the pinball from falling into the gap. Consequently, the game is less demanding, and a player does not need to focus constantly on the play of the game. The pinball game therefore may be less interesting to a player who prefers constant interaction and excitement.
Furthermore, the player of pinball games remains generally stationary during the game. Only some of the more aggressive players may try to push or shake the pinball machines to guide the pinball to the players"" desired paths, or to avoid the ball from falling into the gap between the flippers. Such shaking often damages the pinball machine and is extremely costly to the arcade owners to repair the pinball machines. Therefore, more modern and sophisticated pinball machines generally have built-in vibrating sensors to xe2x80x9cpunishxe2x80x9d the aggressive players. When the pinball machine senses that it is being pushed or shaken, the machine will automatically disable the flippers or even end the pinball game abruptly. This demonstrates that many players of the pinball game prefer to have a more exciting and continuously moving game so that their entire body and senses of the player are in motion along with the pinball.
Therefore there is a need to incorporate more interactive features into the classic pinball machine, so that a player can enjoy more fully the excitement of playing a pinball game. In addition, there is a further need to provide the player actual moving sensations during the game to make the gaming experience even more exciting.
The present invention satisfies these needs. The invention combines the advantages of a pinball game and a moving mechanical riding device.
In one embodiment, the invention is a pinball simulator game system with a display device adapted to display from a pinball""s perspective moving in a game area of the simulated pinball machine to a player. In a preferred embodiment, the pinball simulator game also comprises a game console electrically connected to the display device, with a controller mounted inside the game console for the player to control and interact with the pinball. In another embodiment, the pinball simulator game further comprises a computer electrically connected to the display device; a software to provide instructions to the computer to generate continuous moving images of the view from the perspective of the pinball onto the display device.
In another preferred embodiment, the game console further comprises means for controlling a movement of the pinball through sending electronic signals to the computer such that the player experiences the sensation of being a pinball. In another preferred embodiment, the pinball simulator game system the game console is mounted on top of the motion base, such that the computer directs the motion base to move according to a movement of the pinball, such that the player has a sensation of being the pinball.
In another embodiment the pinball simulator game system further comprises the display device adapted to display a top down view of the ball moving in the game area.
In yet another embodiment the pinball simulator game system has a roller coaster rail enclosed in the game area, such that when the pinball moves along the roller coaster rail, the player experiences a roller coaster ride sensation. In yet another preferred embodiment, the pinball simulator game system has means to control the computer and means to speed up the pinball and control a trajectory of the pinball.
In another embodiment the pinball simulator game simulates an underwater roller coaster ride when a game ends. In yet another embodiment, the pinball simulator game system has means to control the computer include means to speed up the pinball, and consumes fuel to speed up and the fuel is supplied during a play of a game.
In another preferred embodiment, the pinball simulator game further contains a stereo sound system with at least one speaker in the game console that generates sound effects according to the movement of the pinball.